Preservation Through Perspective

Members of the Farmland Preservation Artists of Central Pennsylvania were looking for a project when they settled on interpreting the Hodge Farm in Penns Valley. Their goal was to capture in paintings or photography multiple perspectives over a one-year period that began in May of 2015.

The results — a preview of which appears on these pages — are part of a two-month show, “One Farm: Multiple Perspectives,” which will run through Nov. 27 at the Bellefonte Art Museum for Centre County. The Farmland Preservation Artists of Central Pennsylvania formed in late 2005 as a joint enterprise of the Art Alliance of Central Pennsylvania and the Centre County Farmland Trust. The group promotes the preservation and appreciation of farmland through the visual arts. Portions of their sales are donated to the Art Alliance and the Farmland Trust.

In May 2003, Hugh and Barbara Hodge donated an agricultural conservation easement to the Centre County Farmland Trust. This easement was significant — it was the first farm permanently preserved by the trust and it was the first farm preserved in Penn Township. Farmland placed in agricultural conservation easement is permanently conserved for agriculture purposes regardless of ownership. To date, more than a thousand acres have been preserved on 11 farms.

The show, featuring work from this significant farmland, will open with a reception that is free and open to the public on Sunday, Oct. 2, from noon to 4:30 p.m. The museum is open during those hours on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and by appointment.